4 PAST TENSE RAPS, the Campus Traveler n the early 1960s a group of senior academics at Portland State formed a more-or-less formal organization that came to be known as “the Professors Club.” As these professors retired, they continued to meet to discuss topics of mutual interest. Growing in numbers, they formed a bona fide organization in 1985 titled Emeriti Retired Faculty of Portland State (ERFOPS). In 2001 the organization invited retired staff to join and changed its name to the Retirement Association of Portland State (RAPS). In its early years RAPS had no regular office space. In 1988 Provost Frank Martino designated furnished office space for ERFOPS in the newly built Ondine Building on SW 6th Avenue. In the 25 years since then, the university’s growth, changing administrations, and shifting priorities have resulted in RAPS moving to other campus locations: the Mill Street Building in 1992, Smith Memorial Student Union in 1997, the Simon Benson House in 2000, and Koinonia House in 2008 (its current location). THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE HOME. RAPS’s first home, from 1988 to 1992, was the Ondine on SW 6th Avenue (above left). Its second home was in the Mill St. Building (center), demolished to make room for the Urban Center Plaza. In 1997 RAPS moved into an office in Smith Memorial Student Union (right) on SW Broadway. The newly restored Simon Benson House on Park Avenue (above left) was RAPS’s home base for eight years beginning in 2000. The Board still meets there. In 2008 RAPS moved into its current location, the Koinonia House (right) on SW Montgomery. The continuing office moves have been challenging but each location has offered unique benefits. As one PSU retiree said, “Such moves provide opportunities for RAPS members and others to see and learn more about the PSU campus as they search for the most recent office location.” --Steve Brannan, History Preservation Committee Chair PAST TENSE features glimpses into Portland State’s history. To submit a story (or an idea for one), email the RAPS History Preservation Committee at raps@pdx.edu. I
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